FAQs for Health Care Providers

Q: What qualifies a person for
Disabled Parking?A: Massachusetts's regulation 540 CMR 17.00 sets the
qualification standards for disabled parking. A person meets the standard if
he/she meets any one of the following:

•Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest (A clinical diagnosis of
the disabling condition is required and must be submitted with the Disabled
Parking Application.)

•Cannot walk without the assistance of another person, prosthetic aid, or
other assistive device (A clinical diagnosis of the disabling condition is
required and must be submitted with the Disabled
Parking Application.)

•Is
restricted by lung disease to such a degree that his/her forced (respiratory)
expiratory volume (FEV) in one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than
one liter

•Uses
portable oxygen

•Has a
Class III cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart
Association

•Has a
Class IV cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart
Association. A customer in this conditionmust surrender
his/ her license

•Has
Class III or Class IV functional arthritis according to the standards set by the
American College of Rheumatology

•Has
been declared legally blind, (Either a copy of the Certificate of Blindness OR
an affidavit certifying blindness completed by the
medical professional is required and must be submitted with the Disabled Parking
application.) A customer in this classification must surrender his/her
license.

•Has
lost one or more limbs or permanently lost the use of one or more limbs

Q: Do I have to complete the
section concerning the customer's ability to drive? A: The medical
information you provide enables the Registry of Motor Vehicles to
determine if your patient qualifies for the privilege of access to Handicap
Parking (HP) spaces. A person does not need to have a driver's license to
qualify for the Disabled Parking Privilege. For those who are licensed, certain
conditions, such as blindness, require the person to relinquish his/her driving
privilege. (See FAQ 1 above for a list of other disqualifying conditions.) Other
impairments may or may not affect a person's ability to drive. Please keep in
mind, the Registry of Motor Vehicles is not asking you whether a person is a
good driver. The Registry of Motor Vehicles is asking whether the condition
reported for Disabled Parking presents an impediment to safe driving. If you
(the medical professional) cannot determine this, then the Registry of Motor
Vehicles can require the licensed applicant to take a road test to determine her/his driving competency.
For more detailed information, see Competency
Road Tests and Health Care
Providers or Law Enforcement sections.